Democrat's measure would OK voting remotely on some issues

WASHINGTON - Since he began his new job last January, Rep. Eric Swalwell, a freshman Democrat from Pleasanton, has commuted roughly 250,000 miles between California and Washington.

Bryan Steele

WASHINGTON - Since he began his new job last January, Rep. Eric Swalwell, a freshman Democrat from Pleasanton, has commuted roughly 250,000 miles between California and Washington.

That's equivalent to flying around the planet 10 times. And for California representatives, such a commute is not unusual.

Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, didn't mind the three-hour drive to Sacramento when he served in the state Assembly. But add another six-hour flight across country, and the commute begins to take a serious toll. Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, calls the repeated trips the hardest part of his job.

The long commute inspired Swalwell to introduce a measure that would let members vote remotely on non-controversial bills.

Under the provisions of HR287, which Swalwell introduced in late June, representatives would be able to vote via secure computers on the road or while at home on issues with low priority. They would also be able to use videoconferencing to participate in committee hearings.

It's one thing to fly coast to coast for a major piece of legislation. It's another thing to cast a vote for a routine amendment or a measure to name a post office.

"If I've learned anything from traveling about 2,500 miles each trip, members from all over the country put in a lot of air miles for this job, and there's a lot of work we can do remotely,'' he said.

Swalwell added, "We spend so much time in Congress voting on bills that pass with 400-plus votes for lower-priority issues - naming post offices and letting people use Capitol grounds for 'XYZ.' This would let us spend more time in the House doing the substantial, meaty stuff that our constituents want us to do."

Remote voting and the adoption of videoconferencing would be the House's biggest voting change since the implementation of electronic balloting in 1970, when voice votes were replaced with electronic cards inserted into slots on the House floor that show totals on a giant scoreboard above the gallery.

"We're already on our iPads and iPhones,'' Swalwell said. "Let's start using them to perform these perfunctory tasks."

Co-sponsored by Lowenthal and two Western state Republicans, the resolution would amend congressional rules to allow remote voting on non-controversial measures passed under a procedure known as "suspension of the rules."

Two-thirds of the members present must agree to suspend the rules, allowing for speedy approval of routine matters.

Swalwell calls the bill MOBILE - Members Operating to Be Innovative and Link Everyone.

"One of my goals here in Congress, being the youngest member of the California delegation, is to really try and get the institution to upgrade the way it communicates with its constituents," Swalwell said.

At 32 years old, Swalwell is not only the youngest member of the country's biggest delegation, he is also part of a group of representatives with the one of the longest travel times.

Only a few dozen members from Alaska, Hawaii or the upper Northwest can claim longer commutes.

In an era of partisan divide, the desire to be home is something that representatives from both parties agree on.

Valadao said that, "If you don't do what's best for your district, you won't be here for very long."

A several-years-old picture of his inauguration to the California Assembly hangs on a wall of his Washington office, reminding visitors of his once-shorter commute. Sometimes he even made the drive to Sacramento multiple times per day, something that flight schedules don't permit.

"It's six hours just flying time. Now, from door to door, the best-case scenario is nine hours. It usually runs closer to 10," Valadao said before pausing for a yawn.

Not everyone minds the commute.

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Fairfield, said that the "commute is very valuable."

"Quiet time and five hours with no phone calls - you learn to appreciate it,'' Garamendi said.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who has logged well over 1 million miles between coasts, often used the time to answer constituent mail. Former Rep. Ellen Tauscher from Contra Costa County met a pilot on her flights she ended up marrying.

Swalwell, who has been active on Twitter and recently posted videos of a vote on Vine, represents a new generation of representatives who are beginning to demonstrate their comfort with technology and social media.

He said that the proposal was not an effort to limit working hours or do away with a full-time Congress, as has been proposed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Instead, it's a matter of taking lessons from the high-tech companies in his own district and applying them to the ways of Washington.

"I've seen how they communicate, and we could learn a thing or two from the private sector," Swalwell said.

The California News Service-Washington is a journalism project of the University of California's Washington Center and UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. Contact the CNS at cns@ucdc.edu.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.